What is your travel budget and plan for 2026?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Anguilla right now for our 9th trip since 2019, we try to make it 2x yearly but that’s starting to eat into our attempt to visit every Caribbean island.

Still trying to figure out our family Thanksgiving travel for 2025. My parents want hot hot, maybe Grand Cayman or Turks. Dad has vetoed a number of options.

Will ring in the New Year on Anguilla then bounce to Nevis. Two full weeks between the two.

I have a credit in Roatan that expires in June that I’m eyeing after a big project in mid March.

We would like to get to Harbour Island (June/July?), Maui (Aug - paired with work travel to west coast) and South of France (Labor Day) before the end of September 2026.

OP here - we also fell in love with Anguilla, but can't make it every year. I have not been to Nevis - same vibes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Around 20k, includes a long European trip over winter (three weeks); a long European remote work trip over the summer (two months), a couple of off-season weekends at a Delaware beach; a couple of east coast trips for family stuff. Excludes another $10k in business travel that comes out of a different budget.

OP here - how do you fit this all in under 20k? Is this for a individual/couple or do you some non traditional lodging?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far for 2026 we’ve booked 10 days in Italy around Spring Break. Estimating about 10k for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Still trying to figure out summer plans. We have a decent amount of chase points saved up so thinking of using for hyatts somewhere in the US.

OP here $10K for 4 people seems pretty good for Italy - are you moving around a lot? What part of Italy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:its going to be smaller and quieter than this year, which included costa rica, italy/croatia, outerbanks, and california...DH is a fed and we are just not sure where things are headed. Current plan is 15k max, and that is depending on how things play out job wise.

late october: getting together with 2 girlfriends, staying with me a night and then maybe 2 nights in a spa/hiking area around charlottesville or? recommendations welcome! not luxury but nice, with good food, some stuff to do...cost of about 1k for me.

xmas: will see family in la and bay area: about 4k.

spring break: maybe a few days in NYC, but only if we can stay with friends. 2k ?

summer: I have work in France, and we may tack on about 10-12 days, maybe southwest, maybe alpes maritimes but that is dependent on finances, etc. would budget around 8k for this trip (my flights and some lodging will be covered).

I have a lot of other work travel this year (california, new york, china, paris, new orleans) so am less eager to hit the road.

OP here This is incredible - I like the tack on to work trips as a money saver

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH got an unexpected "back pay" payment of 30K, so we are going to live it up next year. 3 kids (6-13).
March (Spring Break) - week in NY (half in NYC, half near family in Catskills/skiing)
End of May/first week of June - Denmark (first trip to Europe with dcs)
August - 10 days in Oregon and northern CA (white water rafting, national parks, Cannon beach, etc.)

We do lots of smaller trips as well - long weekends, trips to see family in other states, etc. Most years we do a beach trip with DH family but not sure if that will happen again this year. We usually take a trip with my mom and sister's family around Christmas, but that is also still tbd for next year.

OP here - backpay sounds amazing! Are you camping in the national parks, or how are you managing to keep costs down out west?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have teens and I am trying to figure out whether there will be a sports tournament required Easter weekend.
If no tournament would love to go to someplace like Tuscany or south of France or maybe Switzerland to ski?

If tournament we will only have like 5-6 days so am considering — paris, Panama (see the canal and then maybe boat trip on blas islands) or Belize beaches with snorkel and scuba. Open to ideas.

Summer is such a mess with teen jobs and classes and everything I don’t know what to do. My bucket list trip is Sicily and every year I saw “hmmm…not going to work this year.” Maybe we’ll just get a house at the beach with the dog for a week.

OP here - I say just go ahead and do the bucket list trip- where in sicily is your dream?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No budget yet but planning Paris and Copenhagen for late spring; Japan cruise for fall and London for Christmas.

OP here - what kind of Japan cruise? I have never heard of anyone doing this - sounds interesting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For 2026 (calendar year): $30-35ish

Winter break: Caribbean followed by Disney for NYE

Spring break: Caribbean and Florida (plus DE beaches)

Summer: Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro (nearly 3 weeks) — plus a few trips to DE beaches

Fall: long weekend in the mountains

Other:

-NYC a couple times (including a winter trip to see Christmas decorations)

-Charleston/Kiawah (long weekend/other school break)

-Visit kids at college (plus football games)

-Always on the hunt for cheap flights to nearby Europe for a long weekend

-Spouse and kids might tag along on a business trip or two (typically an American city)

How many people in these trips that account for 30-35K budget for the whole year?

[Anonymous]

Tenatively for our family of 3...
Spring Break: We always set multiple price alerts and decide when something intriguing pops up. Maybe Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Carribean?
Summer:
- Two weeks at a villa either near Bordeaux or in Provence, this is a joint 40th trip for me and DH, and we will be joined by two other families. Probably 15-30K for our family depending on a lot of factors.
- annual 5 days in Cape May with my best friend an her family, 1.5K
Fall: annual London for long weekend in October, 3K-ish

I'm also aiming to convince DH to do the German Christmas markets after Thanksgiving, will depend on flight prices so not sure on cost.

Also already planning ahead to a Galapagos trip for 2027.

[Anonymous]

I'm so bad at planning this stuff ahead, but next summer is looking like a graduation gift trip to Kenya for my elephant-loving DS . . . a budget buster for sure.

For big vacations, we usually do the Caribbean and a ski trip every year, plus somewhere in Europe most summers. We also do a lot of last-minute travel more locally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tenatively for our family of 3...
Spring Break: We always set multiple price alerts and decide when something intriguing pops up. Maybe Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Carribean?
Summer:
- Two weeks at a villa either near Bordeaux or in Provence, this is a joint 40th trip for me and DH, and we will be joined by two other families. Probably 15-30K for our family depending on a lot of factors.
- annual 5 days in Cape May with my best friend an her family, 1.5K
Fall: annual London for long weekend in October, 3K-ish

I'm also aiming to convince DH to do the German Christmas markets after Thanksgiving, will depend on flight prices so not sure on cost.

Also already planning ahead to a Galapagos trip for 2027.

The trip to Bordeaux or Provence sounds like a perfect 40th - have you picked a villa? Do you mind sharing how you are finding it?

Galapagos is on our list - do you have to plan that far in advance??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so bad at planning this stuff ahead, but next summer is looking like a graduation gift trip to Kenya for my elephant-loving DS . . . a budget buster for sure.

For big vacations, we usually do the Caribbean and a ski trip every year, plus somewhere in Europe most summers. We also do a lot of last-minute travel more locally.

Wow! Kenya will be amazing - are you looking into a tour company, or a specific lodge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fascinating to see how rich people live and plan.

This! I’m living vicariously though.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don’t know if you’re trying to keep this thread alive or just to be polite, but you really don’t have to respond to every comment.

As to your question, in January we’re going to Patagonia, both Argentina and Chile. In August I have a conference in Frankfurt, and I’m trying to decide where to use that as a jumping off point to. Maybe Turkey, maybe Croatia/Montenegro. But they’ll both be so boiling hot then! Could pivot to Norway and see the fjords, but I’d rather go to the other 2.

That’s all I know for now.

[Anonymous]

We haven't gotten far in planning but are considering Alaska or the Galápagos Islands, also possibly Japan. And likely a beachy resort trip over New Years.